


The Principles of Anarchy

by AnotherAmericanTragedy_20



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Leaves the Jedi Order, Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Fucks With The Council, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Anakin Skywalker Leaves the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Anakin Skywalker is a Little Shit, Angst and Humor, Attempted Kidnapping, BAMF Ahsoka Tano, BAMF Anakin Skywalker, Bounty Hunter Ahsoka Tano, Bounty Hunter Anakin Skywalker, Bounty Hunters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Ahsoka Tano, Hurt Anakin Skywalker, Kidnapping, Multi, No Beta We Die Like Clones, On the Run, Protective Ahsoka Tano, Protective Anakin Skywalker, Slow Burn, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:55:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28826316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherAmericanTragedy_20/pseuds/AnotherAmericanTragedy_20
Summary: "Do you trust me?" He asked instead. He knew her answer could, and would, change everything."Of course." She answered, without a moment's hesitation. Completely, and truthfully. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.The doors opened, and in a split-second decision, Anakin chose Ahsoka over the Order.{OR: The Wrong Jedi Arc AU}
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano & Rafa Martez & Trace Martez & Nyx Okami, Anakin Skywalker & Nyx Okami, Anakin Skywalker & Rafa Martez, Anakin Skywalker & Trace Martez, Nyx Okami & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Rafa Martez & Trace Martez & Ahsoka Tano, Rafa Martez/Nyx Okami, Trace Martez/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 97
Kudos: 179





	1. anarchy: a state of

**Author's Note:**

> Well… if you’re wondering where I’ve been, ah, ha ha. Funny story. See, I was outlining options for ‘i write sins not tragedies’... and this kind of happened? 
> 
> Also, the other chapters won’t be a retelling of the same events from two different perspectives, just this one. Enjoy!!!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: If I was George Lucas, I’d be too busy making a shit-ton of fanfictions canon to be writing this.

**Anakin:**

He stood in front of the prison entrance, eyes flashing dangerously.  _ She’s innocent. If nothing else, I know she’s innocent.  _

“I said, my  _ Padawan  _ is in there. Now step aside.” He felt the darkness swirling around him, but he paid it no mind.  _ Hate leads to fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.  _ But Jedi platitudes wouldn’t help him now. It wouldn’t help Ahsoka now. 

“General Skywalker, Admiral Tarkin has ordered that no one be allowed in there.” Fox didn’t deserve to bear that voice, Anakin thinks. That voice belonged to Rex, and Cody, and Fives, all far better men than him. 

He slowly curled his hand into a fist, seconds away from grabbing his lightsaber. 

“I don’t  _ care  _ what she’s accused of!” He felt the anger rising, the darkness swelling. He could feel the spark of fear from Fox in the Force.  _ Good. “Let. Me. In.”  _ He tapped a finger on the blaster-proof glass separating them. He could see Fox give a nod to the other troopers stationed there, bearing electrostaffs. 

They ignited them, walking over. He almost laughed.  _ Your mistake.  _ They stood on either side of them, tilting the tips of the staff towards his head. The purple lighting crackled menacingly. Not as menacing, however, as the fire in his eyes. 

“Sorry, sir.”  _ Yeah, right.  _ “The admiral’s orders still stand. This is now a military operation, and under his jurisdiction.” Then, everything seemed to stop.

He knew he could make one of two decisions. Only one. He couldn’t do both. 

He could walk away, he knew that. Glower at Fox one more time, blue fire raging in his eyes and his heart, but leave her. He could walk back to the order, pretend to be fine, and grasp at flimsi while he desperately tried to prove her innocence. 

He could scowl at everyone, beg Padme to help, Obi-Wan, the Chancellor. The Chancellor. He was a good man, Anakin knew. He would understand his case, surely. But… there was a nagging voice in the back of his head, a voice that urged him  _ not  _ to go down that path. 

Then there was option two. Fight the guards. Break Ahsoka out. It was a foolish idea, he knew. It would only make her seem more guilty-  _ which she wasn’t.  _ But he couldn’t leave her to rot in prison! He could save her, he was sure of it. 

But- at what cost? This way would be faster, he knew. But he had no idea of what to do. A half-hashed out plan, at the best. But then again, didn’t most of his plans start that way? They always worked fine. He wouldn’t leave her.  _ He couldn’t leave her.  _

And he chose the other choice. He fought. He sunk briefly into the force, and  _ pushed.  _ Fox and the other troopers standing behind the glass slammed against the wall, slumping to the floor, unconscious. His lightsaber sprung to life in his hand, and he made quick work of the guards. 

He didn’t kill them, of course. He was just- rougher, than he normally would be.  _ They were imprisoning Ahsoka.  _ That was all the motivation he needed. He glanced at the unconscious troopers, and winced. That didn’t exactly look good, on either of their behalf, his or Ahsoka’s. He didn’t have time to worry about that. 

He stabbed his saber through the control panel, and the energy shields guardian the main hallways flickered out. 

He raced through the halls, silently slipping from shadow to shadow, past the oblivious guards. He pushed down the not-as-sicking-as-he-thought-it-would-be urge to harm them, to make them pay for what they did, even if they had no part in it. He stopped, just for a second, mortified.  _ That was not the Jedi way.  _ He didn’t know if he cared anymore. 

He pushed their bond, as he made his way through pristine, metal hallways. He could sense fear, and fatigue. It was subconscious, though. She was asleep. He grit his teeth, and moved faster. He finally found her way to the cell, red energy field keeping her contained inside the small room.

He almost growled.  _ This was not okay.  _ She was lying on a- stone slab?! There was a single sink for water?! This was it?! Okay, sure, he wouldn’t pretend that he hadn’t been to jail a fair share of times before- and then Obi-Wan had to bail him out (all seven times, but no one needed to know that)- but this was his  _ Padawan.  _ This was his  _ Snips.  _ The injustice of it made him want to scream. 

_ “Ahsoka.”  _ He whispered, urgently.  _ Security cameras? Why didn’t I think of that?! They’ll catch us.  _ “Ahsoka.” He spoke, louder. She shifted, head shaking from where it was cushioned on her arm. She was curled up, on her side. His heart ached a little more. 

“Huh? Master?” She blinked the sleep from her eyes. She sat up straighter. “What are you doing here?” 

“Breaking you outta here.” He said, keeping his voice hushed, as if that would help. He reached for his saber, preparing to completely destroy the lock - but it wasn’t there. He bit back a curse.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, fear dominating her other emotions. 

“I think there’s something bigger going on here.” He responded. “Step back- I don’t know if this’ll backfire.” She nodded, and stepped away from the energy shield. He reached into the force, focusing on the lock on the side of her cell. 

He closed his eyes, and stretched out his hand, furrowing his brow. He twisted slightly- there. The energy shield fell, and Ahsoka rushed out, into his arms. He held her close, resting his chin on the gap between her montrals. She held back a sob. 

“I’m scared.” She murmured, voice muffled from where she pressed her face against his tunics. His heart broke a little more.

“I know, Little One.” He soothed, rubbing what he hoped was a comforting hand over her back. “I know. But we’re going to fix this, alright?” She sniffed again, and nodded, pulling back, and made a face. “What?”

“You’re not supposed to be here, are you?” He felt his cheeks flush, and a feeling out doubt creeping in. This wasn’t a good idea. This would just make her look more guilty- and now he had committed a crime, hadn’t he? 

There would probably be serious repercussions- probably?! No, definitely. And they had nothing to go on, no way to prove her innocence-

“Thank you.” She said quietly, breaking him out of his reverie. “For coming for me.” She added, and  _ oh.  _ How dare they think this innocent girl guilty? She was barely seventeen, a child soldier, forced to fight in a war none of them could comprehend. 

“Always.” He promised her, looking his Padawan straight in the eye.  _ And I’ll be damned if I ever break that promise.  _ “We have to get out of here- you’re right. This, uh, might not exactly be legal.” Despite the situation, she rolled her eyes, fondly.

“Lead the way, Skyguy.” He gave her a grin, and pressed a finger to his lips, feeling oddly elated, which was strange, given the circumstances. He raced down the hall, feeling her silent-unless-you’re-a-jedi-footfalls behind him. 

(They had both completely missed the key card lying by the steps leading down to Ahsoka’s cell.)

**::What do you have planned?::** He felt her ask, over their bond. 

**::Umm, get out of here, prove your innocence, and then take it from there?::** Okay, so that wasn’t the  _ best  _ plan, but at least he had a- rough outline?

**::So no plan, then.::**

**::Well, I wouldn’t say no pl-::** His thought ended abruptly when they turned to the corner, and saw the guards, passed out on the floor. 

_ Kriff.  _ So Ahsoka  _ was  _ being set up, then. 

“This is not good.” He heard her mutter. They walked forward, drawing to a beeping noise at the end of the hallway.  _ Kark.  _ So he was included in this plot too. Ahsoka’s comlink was the source of the beeping, and next to it laid three sabers.  _ Oh no.  _

“Our lightsabers?” She asked, but Anakin knew it to be rhetorical. He glanced around to make sure no guards were coming, when he sensed Fox’s presence.  _ Didn’t hit him hard enough.  _ She bent down to pick them up.

“Wait, Snips- don’t-” 

“Hello. Who is this? Why are you helping us?” Ahsoka spoke calmly, and clearly, as she hooked the sabers on her belt, and handed the other to Anakin. 

“Ahsoka.” He grabbed her arm, and she turned towards him. The doors opened, and in a split-second decision, Anakin chose Ahsoka  _ over  _ the Order. “Run!” It was too late, though. 

Fox stepped through the doors just as they started moving. He yelled something after them, but Anakin wasn’t paying attention. The alarm sounded, and red light flashed throughout the halls. 

**::What do we do?::** He paused, thinking. What- could they do? He didn’t have a plan when he rushed in there, blasters blazing. His mindset was as simple as: Snips. Help. Unfair. This was why he and Obi-Wan worked so well together. 

Obi-Wan had the plan, he had the fire power. Sure, he knew there’d be issues with breaking into a military prison, but- not this soon! They were just supposed to slip out. The plot seemed so much bigger now. 

**::Do you trust me?::** He asked instead. He knew her answer could, and would, change everything.

**::Of course.::** She answered, without a moment's hesitation. Completely, and truthfully. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

**::Follow me.::** Behind him, he could hear Fox speaking into his comlink.

“Alert, alert! The Jedi prisoner has escaped. She is being aided by General Skywalker.” They tore through the hallways, passing a protocol droid and an astromech along the way. They made it to the end of the hallway, only to be stopped by clones. They ran the other way.

“General, Commander, stop!” They ran down the hallway, a trooper closing the door just too late behind them. The doors periodically closed faster and faster as they made their way to the end of the corridor, and they had to twist and turn and somersault through. There were… troopers… lying dead on the ground. With lightsaber marks.

_ “Oh no.”  _ He heard Ahsoka whisper. Another trooper came, firing bolts at them- bad. Very bad. He felt Obi-Wan’s force presence behind them. Kark. 

“Anakin! What are you doing?” He called up to them, as they ran in the corridor overhead. He silently shook his head at her.  _ Don’t respond.  _ “Be reasonable. We can work this out.” 

**::We need to get out of here. Now.::** He raced towards the exit, knowing she would follow him. They crept along to the exit, hiding behind corners, and hanging on the ceiling, when needed. 

When a squad came out the door, it was all the invitation they needed to slip out behind them. They scaled the side of a statue quickly, needing to get cover,  _ yesterday.  _

“There they are! Stop them!”  _ Kriff.  _ They ran across the golden wall adjacent to the statue, and Anakin slipped his lightsaber into his hand, guarding Ahsoka’s back. The stun bolts-  _ so Obi-Wan doesn’t want us dead-  _ richochied back, but Anakin didn’t care. They were guilty enough already, what was one more penalty? 

“Get to that fighter!” He yelled, over the sound of blaster fire, motioning to one of the ships parked several hundred meters away. 

They jumped off the side of the wall, using the force to cushion their landing. He could feel his heart beating loudly, the blood rushing in his ears, feeting pounding on the ground.

_ This was a mistake.  _

What was he thinking? He had just condemned himself and Ahsoka to a life in prison, if not execution! He couldn’t do this! The order was his life. He was making a mistake. He couldn’t just- throw it all away. What was he thinking?! He wasn’t leaving the Order.  _ He’d probably be expelled either way.  _

Okay. So they needed a plan. A plan. Kriff it, this was why he needed Obi-Wan! But did Obi-Wan even like him anymore? Did he trust him? Did he think Anakin guilty of killing the troopers, or Ahsoka of killing Letta? He couldn’t rely on Obi-Wan. That much he knew. He loved his Master, he really, truly did, but Obi-Wan wouldn’t understand.

Padme. She could help- but Anakin wouldn’t involve her in this. It would put her career at risk, their secret, her safety- no. He couldn’t.

There was Chancellor Palpatine. Anakin had great respect for the man- but he feared not even the Chancellor would agree with his course of actions. Kark, who was he kidding?  _ He himself  _ didn’t agree with his plan- inkling, was a more appropriate word.

That left him and Ahsoka alone. That was alright. He could work with that. He focused on his laboured breaths instead, and Ahsoka’s force signature pulsing behind him. The tanks behind them activated, and started blasting. Too late, he realized their target. 

“Duck!” He screamed, and yanked Ahsoka down, and the fighter they were headed towards blew up in front of them. By accident, (or maybe by will of the force,) none of the debris hit them. Alright. New idea. “The Industrial Pipeline!” He called, loud enough to be heard over the blaster fire. 

**::When we get there, I want you to jump underneath, and make yourself scarce. We’ll meet up on one of lower levels.::**

**::Master, are you sure-::**

**::Trust me.::** The feeling of fear didn’t leave her force signature, but he could sense she nodded.  **::Run in front of me, I’ll provide distraction.::** She ran ahead, and jumped over the railing, instantly hidden by the fog. 

He ignited his saber, and started deflecting the stun bolts, running down the pipeline. He could feel them started to surround them, and he moved faster, more desperate. He leapt off the side, in a way that could only be aided by the Force, and somersaulted back into a standing position on the catwalk he landed on. 

His feet were aching, and he felt as though he were pumped of lead. He immersed himself deeper in the force, making his senses more attuned. His saber was no longer a sword, but an extension of his body, as the blue circles of the stun bolts bounced off his lightsaber effortlessly. He could keep this up, but he didn’t know for how long.

The sky was dark, and cloudy, but he could still see the distinct outline of clone armour, and that of transport shuttles in the sky. He slashed his lightsaber back and forth, stun bolsters dissipating into harmless energy. There were circular dome buildings ahead, and he lept once more, twisting his body through the air, skillfully dodging the oncoming fire. 

He landed on the continuing catwalk, knowing he had to get cover soon. A shuttle moved closer and closer, and he knew that even he could not outrun it for long. Still, he prayed to the Force, and  _ ran.  _ Until he heard someone say,

“This’ll knock ‘im off his feet.” Then the karking rocket fired. The blast did indeed knock him off his feet, and a large piece of shrapnel buried itself in his left leg. He  _ howled.  _ He scrambled back up, and called his saber to his hand, running and running and feeling himself get weaker and weaker with every passing moment. 

His leg  _ burned.  _ White-hot fire seemed to replace the blood in his veins, and he knew that he had minutes, maybe less, to get himself to safety- whatever that was. He jumped again, landing on a platform where stairs descended from the catwalks on all sides. His leg  _ throbbed.  _

Then-  _ kriff.  _ He was better than this. He was going to be surrounded! He could see searchlights zeroi-ing in on the platform, and troopers streaming down from the catwalks via staircase. He had to jump again. He grit his teeth, and lept to the nearby pipe, the Force his sole supplier of strength right now. 

He lept on top, and his leg gave way, and he slipped. He skid down the side, desperately trying to gain purchase, finally managing to stick his saber in the side, gripping it with his mechanical hand. He felt the stun bolts being fired again, and with strength he shouldn’t have been able to possess, he  _ swung  _ himself upward. He landed on the top again, panting heavily.

_ What had he been  _ thinking?! 

He quickly cut a whole in the metal tube, and used the force to  _ shove  _ it down, and lept down-  _ well, fell down, really-  _ after it. His feet sloshed in water, but he paid it no mind. There was a vent behind him, making a really aggravating buzzing noise that he didn’t need. He  _ ran,  _ leaving a trail of stained water in his wake. 

_ What colour was the water?  _ You might ask.  _ Red,  _ because of the karking rocket! He heard thuds behind him, and knew that members of the 501st, 212st, and the Coruscant Police were following him. He also felt- kriff. Obi-Wan. 

He ran down, switching directions at every turn, and almost skidding to a halt, just to remember that he didn’t have to waste. He made a particularly sharp turn, and fell flat in the water, and  _ screamed  _ when his leg hit the floor _.  _ Well, now everyone knew where he was. And he was sopping wet. 

The chase continued as he made his way through the tunnels. He could feel Ahsoka’s fear and exhaustion on the other side of the bond, and her concern.

**::Master, are you-::**

**::Not now! Where are you?!::** He slipped behind another turn, back pressed to the wall. He supposed the only good thing about the troopers chasing him was that their flashlights illuminated the tunnel for him. He could feel Obi-Wan coming closer, closer- he round another corner, and gasped for air. None of the troopers followed.  _ Good, he lost them.  _

Except Obi-Wan.  _ Not now, Master, please.  _ He wasn’t projecting to Obi-Wan, but he was sure the Sorsue Master could feel it all the same. 

**::If you keep going east, there’s an exit. There’s a ship coming, I’m on top.::** Alright, good, she was safe. Now he just had to get to her. He ran through the spinning blades of vents, turning from corner to corner. 

He could feel his Master catching up. His leg- well. It wasn’t pretty. At least when his arm had been cut off, it had been swift. Not the pain, mind you- just the action. But not this. He supposed his luck had to run out at some point.

He skidded to a stop at the end, when there was an exit, just like Ahsoka said. If he focused, he was sure he could feel her presence thrumming amongst the millions of others down there. The night air was cool on his face, and it soothed his wound- just a little. 

He looked down, when the ventilator shaft was, and he knew that if he jumped, hewouls fall down to the deepest levels of the underworld, all the way to the uninhabitable Level One. 

He willed the force to make the ship move faster- just waiting for the right time to jump- and there was Obi-Wan, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, returning his saber to his belt.

“Anakin, what is going on here?”  _ A lot of things, Master.  _

“I wasn’t just going to let Ahsoka rot in a prison cell, taking the fall for something she didn’t do!” He’d never leave his sister behind. The Council wouldn’t hear her case, not unless there was real evidence. 

“She was going to get a trial! Please, come back, we can work this out! You’re injured.” And just like that, he was back to The Negotiator. Gone was Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and here was the Holonet’s second-favorite poster boy. Although, after his stunt today, maybe Obi-Wan would be the favorite. 

“We’re going to find evidence, find proof that she didn’t do this.” Obi-Wan shook his head, exasperated, clearly.

“Anakin, I believe you! Stop this madness, and just tell me where Ahsoka is. Come back. We can work this all out. I’m begging you.” Huh. Funny. Obi-Wan Kenobi had never begged before. 

“I’m sorry, Master. But you’ll be the only one that’s even remotely on our side. As soon as there was even speculation- you lock her up. I’m fixing this. Then I’ll be back. Promise.” He felt a woosh of air behind him, and a familiar force presence, one that he knew Obi-Wan felt too. He shot his Master a pleading look, begging him not to say anything. He stepped back closer to the leg, ignoring the throbbing in his leg. 

“General Kenobi-” Fox, Cody, and Rex came from around the corner. He turned back to Obi-Wan.

“I’ll be back.” He wasn’t sure if it was a placitude, or yet another promise bound to be broken by situation and hardship. “Don’t follow me. Please.” He turned around, (and was it his imagination, or did he lock eyes with Ahsoka?) and for what felt like the millionth time that day,  _ jumped.  _

He heard Obi-Wan’s cry of “Anakin!” as he fell. His heart gave a small pang, but he couldn’t focus on Obi-Wan now. He landed on the ship, in the furthest image from grace imaginable. The adrenaline left him, and whatever balm the rush of the event had given him was gone. He was sure his leg must be on fire, sure there must be a million sabers carving into his skin, and he couldn’t breath-

“-Guy! Master! Master!” He could feel Ahsoka’s arms around him, clutching him to her chest. He glanced up to the exit from where he had jumped, and for a second, his blazing eyes met Obi-Wan’s. He knew Ahsoka was looking at his former Master too. They locked eyes with each other until they were too far down to make out each other’s figures. 

He’d deal with his emotions on  _ that  _ later. He was brought back from his haze by a particular  _ sharp  _ throb of pain from his leg, making him gasp and arch into Ahsoka’s arms. He could feel her concern through the Force, so palpable he could almost see it, and he knew he could sense his pain.  _ Alright Skywalker. Time to do what makes you such a great tactician. Improvise.  _

“Help… help me… up-” Force, did he really sound that bad? He couldn’t even get the whole sentence out, for kriff’s sake. Thankfully, Ahsoka understood, and helped pull him into a sitting position, non-injured leg bent tightly at the knee and clutched to his chest. His other leg was stretched out, slightly bent at the knee, but not unnaturally. 

The shrapnel was a good two inches thick, and at least triple that in length. It had buried itself at least an inch into his leg.  _ Kark.  _ He winced as he twisted his foot to the side, clutching Ahsoka’s hand tightly when the pain spiked sharply. It was in his calf- he was sure the muscle had some fancier name, but he was so karking  _ tired,  _ and in so much pain, that he didn’t really think it was necessary. 

“Where you… where you follow-  _ agh!”  _ He squeezed his eyes shut as another wave of pain came through. He couldn’t let his leg go untreated for much longer. Ahsoka let his head loll on her shoulder, squeezing his hand comfortingly. 

“They sent a few troopers down, but none of them saw me get on this transport.” He nodded, too tired to continue talking. “Master… what do we do?” He sighed. This was as far as he’d planned, honestly. They had nowhere to go. The temple was obviously out of question, and the 500 Republica was too obvious. He knew Obi-Wan would check there.

_ Padme.  _ He thought with a pang. Could he- no. He couldn’t. Not yet. 

“We- we-” He grunted, and shifted, moving to sit up more. “We… need cover… soon. We- we can’t move- move it from my…  _ ahg-  _ from my leg- it’s stopping… stopping the bleeding-  _ need- ow-  _ need to stop it- stop it from-  _ ah!  _ Infected-” He slumped forward again, pressing his face into his right knee. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out again. 

He couldn’t cry now. No. Now- now, he had to be strong. For Ahsoka. 

“Alcohol.” She spoke. What- huh? What did that have to do with anything?! “For your leg.” She clarified. “It’ll keep it from getting infected, right?”  _ Oh.  _ Oh yeah. That’s right. He sent a small wave of approval over their bond.

“You’re.. You’re not- not hurt, yeah?”  _ Force,  _ their situation wasn’t good. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He nodded.  _ Thank the Maker for that.  _

“Good… good. That’s good. We’re- we’re gonna figure this out, okay?” Ahsoka didn’t say anything, but he knew she was nodding. She squeezed his organic hand again. They let the ship continue its descent in silence. 

**Ahsoka:**

_ “Ahsoka.”  _ She heard a voice, calling to her. It was a nice voice, she thought. Familiar. Comforting. And she was scared. She didn’t know why, but she was. She was mad and tired and angry and  _ fed up  _ and she didn’t know why. “Ahsoka.” The voice spoke again, shaking her out of the haze of sleep.

“Huh?” She asked, blinking, pushing away the last traces of sleep. “Master?” What was he doing here? Did he come to talk to her about the accusations?  _ He didn’t believe she was guilty, did he?  _ “What are you doing here?” 

_ Please believe me, trust me, please, please- _

“Breaking you outta here.” He said, voice hushed. A rush of warmth filled her chest.  _ I knew you wouldn’t abandon me, Skyguy.  _ She saw him reach for his lightsaber, only to frown when he realized it wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong?” She couldn’t stop the trace of fear that tinted her words. 

“I think there’s something bigger going on here.” He replied, his brow furrowed. “Step back- I don’t know if this’ll work.” She felt herself nodding as she backed away from the energy field.  _ What are you gonna do?  _

She saw him close his eyes, and stretch out his hand. The Force bent to his will like it always did, easy for her Master than any other being she had encountered. He twisted his hand, and the energy shield fell. 

She rushed out, only one destination in her mind. She collapsed into his arms, and she could feel him hook his chin over the dip between her montrals. She whimpered, curling closer to him.

“I’m scared.” And it was true. She was so, so scared. Terrified, and angry that no one had believed her. Well, no one, until Anakin. It was one of the most comforting things in her world, she thought, that she could always rely on Anakin Skywalker, no matter what.

“I know, Little One.” He rubbed soothing circles on her lower back. “But we’re going to fix this, alright?” She sniffed again, and nodded, hating how weak she felt. But her Master had still come for her. That had to mean something, right? But why had no guards come with him? Why hadn’t he had a keycard to open the cell- oh. Noticing the look on her face, Anakin asked, “What?”

“You’re not supposed to be here, are you?” She saw a blush rise on his cheeks- her years with him had taught her humans normally did this when they were embarrassed- and she knew her answer. 

She was scared. And angry. Angry at Tarkin for just- doing that. She’d never liked him. What was his deal, anyway? And no one else had come to see her- although, that could have been Tarkin’s doing. But Anakin  _ had  _ come. And she’d never thank him enough for that.

“Thank you. For coming for me.” She clarified, at his confused expression. He looked her straight in the eyes, and for a minute, his blue optics  _ blazed  _ with fire.

“Always.” He promised. “We have to get out of here- you’re right. This, uh, might not exactly be legal.” Even though by breaking out, she was literally making herself a fugitive, she rolled her eyes fondly.

“Lead the way, Skyguy.” He grinned at her, and pressed a finger to his lips. They stood up, and he started down the hallway, herself right on his trail. 

(She would later remember the key card there, and realize just how far the plot to frame her went.)

**::What do you have planned?::** She asked, over their force bond. 

**::Umm, get out of here, prove your innocence, and then take it from there?::** Was his sheepish reply. And  _ okay,  _ so they were breaking out of prison, and she was accused of murder, but- she felt alright. Strangely. That was probably because she was several parsecs deep in denial, but whatever. 

**::So no plan, then.::** She quipped back.

**::Well, I wouldn’t say no pl-::** Whatever thoughts he had been projecting to her had ended abruptly. On the other side of the corner they had just turned, all the guards were passed out, in various stages of waking up.

“This is not good.” She muttered, the creeping feeling of fear and confusion coming back. Anakin moved forward, and she followed him, drawn to a beeping noise at then end of the hallway. Her- comlink? And three sabers? Hers, and her Masters? Who was helping them? “Our sabers?” She wondered, aloud. 

She reached down, and secured the comlink to her glove, hooking her sabers on her belt. She handed the other to Anakin. 

“Wait, Snips- don’t-”  _ Don’t what?  _ She wanted to ask, as she pressed the receive call button on her comlink.

“Hello. Who is this? Why are you helping us?” She spoke, as calmly, clearly, and urgently as she could. 

“Ahsoka.” Anakin grabbed her arm, and she turned towards him. The doors on the other side of the glass panel that separated the control room from the rest of the prison opened. “Run!” He yelled, and they continued down the hallway, faster. 

Someone- probably Fox- sounded the alarm. He yelled something into his comlink that Ahsoka was too unfocused to pick up, still in a daze. The noise the alarm made blared, and the red light flashed, and she was suddenly caught in the full revelation of what was happening.

They were breaking out of prison.  _ Oh Force,  _ they were breaking out of prison.

**::What do we do?::** She asked, not even trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. 

**::Do you trust me?::** What kind of question was that? He had always stood by her, believed her when no one else did, looked after her-

**::Of course.::** She answered, completely confident in her response.

**::Follow me.::** Behind her, she could hear Fox speaking into his comlink. 

“Alert, alert! The Jedi prisoner has escaped. She is being aided by General Skywalker.” They tore through the hallways, passing a protocol droid and an astromech along the way. They made it to the end of the hallway, only to be stopped by clones. They ran the other way.

“General, Commander, stop!” They ran down the hallway, a trooper closing the door just too late behind them. The doors periodically closed faster and faster as they made their way to the end of the corridor, and they had to twist and turn and somersault through. There were… troopers… lying dead on the ground. With lightsaber marks.

_ “Oh no.”  _ She whispered.  _ They were being set up!  _ Another trooper came, firing blaster bolts at them.  _ Real blaster bolts.  _ Were they- aiming to kill? They kept running, until they were in the corridor directly over top of the fallen clones. 

“Anakin! What are you doing?”  _ Master Kenobi?  _ No, no! He was supposed to be on their side! He didn’t believe she killed them- did he?  _ No no no.  _ Anakin shook at her, conflict clearly written on his face as he shook his head at her.  _ Don’t respond,  _ she knew he was saying. “Be reasonable. We can work this out.” She wanted to snort. 

_ Sure. It’ll end up with us in a prison cell and on trial for murder. _

**::We need to get out of here. Now.::** Anakin projected to her. He raced towards the exit, and she followed him, the sound her footsteps made reverberating in her head. 

They ducked behind corners and shadows as they ran. They sensed a trooper coming, and with nowhere to hide, the clung to the metal cross beams on the ceiling. 

When a squad came out the main door, it was all the invitation they needed to slip out behind them. They scaled the side of a statue quickly.

“There they are! Stop them!”  _ Oh no.  _ They ran across the golden wall adjacent to the statue, and she could feel Anakin slip his lightsaber into his hand, guarding her back. The stun bolts-  _ so Master Kenobi doesn’t want us dead-  _ richochied back, but she couldn’t think about how guilty they looked now. 

“Get to that fighter!” Anakin yelled, over the sound of blaster fire, motioning to one of the ships parked several hundred meters away. 

They jumped off the side of the wall, using the force to cushion their landing. She could feel her heart beating loudly, the blood rushing in his ears, feeting pounding on the ground. Her breaths were laboured, but her Master’s force presence, pulsing loudly, gave her a small reassurance she didn’t know she was craving. 

There were tanks behind them blasting green bolts, she noted. Then, Anakin screamed,

“Duck!” Not a moment too soon. She hadn’t even realized they were aiming for the fighter. Anakin yanked her down, and the fighter they were headed towards blew up in front of them. 

Thank the Force, none of the debris hit them. 

“The Industrial Pipeline!” Anakin called, loud enough to be heard over the blaster fire. 

**::When we get there, I want you to jump underneath, and make yourself scarce. We’ll meet up on one of lower levels.::**

**::Master, are you sure-::**

**::Trust me.::** The feeling of fear didn’t leave her, but she nodded.  **::Run in front of me, I’ll provide distraction.::** She ran ahead, and jumped over the railing, instantly hidden by the fog. She grabbed the metal bars on the underside of the catwalk, swinging forward.

The catwalk shook from the weight of multiple troopers running after her Master. She could sense clones following her, and she knew she needed more cover. She kept swinging faster, gaining enough momentum to swing to the underside of the adjacent catwalk. 

She grit her teeth when she only caught the bar with one hand. For a second, she had to stop, because her arm felt like  _ it was being ripped out of her socket-  _ but then the stun bolts came, and she couldn’t focus on catching her breath yet. 

She rotated her grip on the bar, so she was facing the oncoming clones. A few were following her, the way she came, but there was the one transport shuttle. She grabbed her shoto, and deflected the blaster bolts. 

She was fine, but they were coming closer and closer- when the Force  _ screamed.  _ Anakin! The pain- their bond was  _ howling.  _ She dropped her shoto from the feeling of the second-hand pain. 

Whatever they had fired at Anakin had  _ one  _ advantage however, since a piece of the railing that got blasted off by the-  _ something,  _ had crashed into the side of the shuttle, and it swerved widely off course. She didn’t have time to focus on whether they were okay or not. She had an inkling of what she had to do, she just had to get to the edge of the shaft. 

She rolled her shoulders back, and swung forward, clutching onto the underbelly of the catwalk parallel to the one she was just one with her other arm. She continued the “upgraded” version of monkey bars for seven more swings, until she was at the last catwalk, hanging over the edge of the ventilator shaft, staring all the way down. 

_ Force,  _ she couldn’t even see the bottom. She waited, and waited- there. She heard a trooper-  _ was that Fives?-  _ yell out:

“Commander, stop!” But she had already let go, free falling, legs pressed together and arms extended, and she rolled into crouch on top of the ship headed down into the safety of the lower levels. She let out a large sigh, wrapping her arms around herself. Now she just needed to find Anakin. She could deal with what just happened later.

**::Master, are you-::** Anakin cut her off abruptly.

**::Not now! Where are you?!::** She could feel the desperation, fear, and pain emanating from him. She looked above you, to where the pipelines had been circled by the 501st, 212st, and the Coruscant Police. Lights were flashing, civilians trying to get through.  _ So that’s where you are. _

**::If you keep going east,::** She started, squinting at the pipelines.  **::There’s an exit. There’s a ship coming, I’m on top.::** She didn’t expect an answer, and she didn’t get one. The ship continued its descent, and the hazy outline of Anakin grew sharper and sharper. 

He was- talking, with someone.  _ Master Kenobi.  _ She realized. If she didn’t know better, she’d say the already dark fabric of the pant leg on his left leg was- darker. She saw her Master give one last look at Obi-Wan, before turning around, and for a split second, they locked eyes, before he  _ jumped.  _

She watched him fall, headed for the ship, arms and legs outstretched, still somehow managing to look more powerful than anyone on the planet, even though his hair was plastered to his forehead, and there was a particularly large piece of metal sticking out his left leg. He jumped on the ship in a heap, looking like one of the multiple ships he had crashed. 

Just for a second, Anakin’s impenetrable (at least to her) shields slipped, and she felt the  _ painpainpainagonyfireow-  _

“Skyguy!” She cried, as his shields slammed back up subconsciously. “Master!” He didn’t respond, blinking hazily, unfocused. “Master!” She scrambled forward, shaken out of her stupor. She clutched him against her chest, as if her hands alone could ease all of his pain. He saw Anakin looking, from where he was staring at- Obi-Wan.

She turned her head up, and stared at him, blue eyes meeting blue. She knew he was staring at Anakin too. Their eyes stayed locked like that until the ship had descended too far for them to see each other. She would focus on her emotions later. Right now, she had to worry about her Master.

He gasped sharply, arching into her arms. She could sense his pain, but perhaps the Force decided she had suffered enough that day, and the pain reduced to a dull throb in the back of her head. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for her Master.  _ Oh Skyguy.  _

“Help… help me… up-” Force, he sounded  _ awful.  _ She couldn’t do this! She needed him to be okay! He was all she had left. He couldn’t go, not now. She helped him into a sitting position. They didn’t need to vocalize to understand the others intentions, anymore. 

He bent his non-injured leg at the knee, and pulled it tight to his chest. He slowly stretched his other leg out, and Ahsoka had to stifle a gasp. The piece of shrapnel was  _ huge,  _ and it had buried itself an inch into his thigh. He winced, and clutched her hand tightly. She didn’t mind. 

“Where you… where you follow-  _ agh!”  _ His eyes squeezed shut, and his head lolled on her shoulder. She squeezed his hand, trying to give what little comfort she could provide .

“They sent a few troopers down, but none of them saw me get on this transport.”  _ I hope.  _ “Master… what do we do?” 

And that was the heart of their problem, wasn’t it?

What did they do about his leg? What did they do about the accusations on both of their heads? What did they do about the fact that they were fugitives? What did they do now that they were running out of options and allies? What did they do now that they needed almost everything they didn’t have? What did they do now that they only had each other?

“We- we-” He grunted, and moved to sit up more. “We… need cover… soon. We- we can’t move it from my  _ ahg-  _ from my leg- it’s stopping… stopping the bleeding-  _ need- ow-  _ need to stop it- stop it from-  _ ah!  _ Infected-” His whole body slumped, and he pressed his face into his right knee. 

_ Think, think, Ahsoka.  _ She knew they needed to keep it from being infected, and that the shrapnel was stopping his leg from bleeding out. But- how?

“Alcohol.” She remembered. Feeling his confusion flare up in this face, she clarified, “For your leg. It’ll keep it from getting infected, right?” He sent a wave of approval over their bond, and it was the purest thing Ahsoka had sensed in the Force all day. 

“You’re… You’re not- not hurt, yeah?” She ignored the aching feeling of her arms. It wouldn’t do good to worry him now. And her injuries were nothing compared to his.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She hoped he didn’t pick up on the lie-  _ more like a fib,  _ she placated to herself.

“Good… good. That’s good. We’re- we’re gonna figure this out, okay?” She didn’t say anything, choosing to nod instead. She squeezed his hand again. They let the ship continue its descent in silence. 


	2. disorder due to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry for being so quiet lately, but that’s what happens when your dad tests positive, I guess. You can do everything right, and have your first dose of the vaccine, but when you’re an essential worker, I guess your patients just don’t care. So that’s what happened to my dad. On the bright side, my mom tested negative, so I only have to quarantine for two weeks, not isolate like my dad. Good times, right?
> 
> I’m sorry this chapter is so much shorter, it just didn’t want to be longer, I guess. Anyway, other chapters should be around at least 7k, consider this an exception. 
> 
> Listen, okay, I know ‘Fulcrum’ was only known by Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Yularen, and Saw Gerrera, but I think he totally would’ve shared it with Padme too, so, bear with me in the name of plot. 
> 
> Also, the amount of support this got from ONE chapter? You guys are the best!!!  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**Obi-Wan:**

_ “After further investigation, there can be little doubt that the clone officers murdered in the breakout were killed by none other than Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano themselves.  _

_ “We have found reason to believe that it was planned by the General and Commander to bomb the temple, and then kill Letta Turmond. Once Tano killed Turmond, Skywalker was to help her escape. In the planned escapade, six officers were murdered.”  _

Obi-Wan was trying to pay attention, truely, but his mind was reeling.  _ What in the blazes is going on?  _ Were Anakin and Ahsoka guilty of the crimes that Tarkin accused them of? It was unthinkable. He knew Anakin too well for that, didn’t he? And Ahsoka! She was still practically a youngling. Sith Hells, Anakin was still practically a youngling.  _ Sixteen and twenty-one was too young to fight in a war.  _

It was impossible, and his heart clenched to even  _ consider  _ the idea that Anakin and Ahsoka murdered those people. But what choice did he have? He  _ had  _ to look at it from an unbiased perspective. It was the only way he would be allowed to operate in this mission.  _ Let go of your attachments, you must.  _

Oh stars, why did Anakin do that? Why’d he have to break Ahsoka out? Why’d they have to run? He could have helped them.  _ Would he have helped them?  _ What was he talking about- of course he would.

But there was still the small, traitorous voice that whispered in the back of his head.  _ Are they innocent?  _ But he wouldn’t listen to it.  _ Couldn’t listen to it.  _ If he lost Anakin- well. He didn’t think he could take it. If it was just Ahsoka, he knew he would grieve silently, and be a rock for his former Padawan- but if Anakin left him? That was a loss he couldn’t possibly tolerate, in any lifetime. 

Qui-Gon, he had mourned, but ultimately, moved on.  _ Satine.  _ His forbidden love was still on his mind. Her death was still fresh.  _ “Remember, my dear Obi-Wan… I have always… loved you…”  _ No- he couldn’t focus on that now. 

_ “I do not believe Ahsoka, nor Anakin, could have fallen so far.” _ Plo Koon spoke resolutely. 

_ “The beliefs of the Jedi Council are irrelevant. We deal strictly in facts and evidence, and the evidence points to Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano being guilty of the attack on the temple and the murder of the Republic officers. This is sedition.”  _ The holocall cut out. 

Tarkin was one of the least affable men he had the misfortune of knowing, Obi-Wan decided. 

_ “Obi-Wan, was there no way to stop Skywalker?”  _ Ki-Adi Mundi turned to Obi-Wan, blue and pixelated from the holo projection. 

“No Master Mundi, regretfully.” 

_ “Believe, we do, that Skywalker and Tano may be guilty of the crime. Believe we are wrong, do you, hmm?” _ Master Yoda turned to look at Obi-Wan as he spoke. He stroked his chin, contemplating on what to say next.  _ How to convince the Council they aren’t guilty- with no evidence.  _

“I… do not believe them guilty of the murder of the troopers, or Letta Turmond. I also find it highly unlikely that they were conspiring with Letta to bomb the temple. I sense we do not have all the facts.” Master Yoda nodded, closing his eyes, and Mace spoke. 

_ “They have escaped to the lower depths. With their skills, they will be hard to find, let alone subdue.”  _ Yoda opened his eyes, and he and Mace shared a look. 

_“Four teams, we will send.”_ _That seems excessive, but not unnecessary,_ Obi-Wan knew. Anakin and Ahsoka would not be easy to apprehend, and they wouldn’t go down without a fight. _“Master Windu, Master Plo Koon, and Master Kenobi. The 501st, to go with the Coruscant guard, they are.”_

_ “Master, I think it is best if the 501st do not go. Their involvement may make things worse.” _ He resisted the urge to facepalm. 

“I think we’re being foolish if we take the 501st off the mission. They know them- and their tactics- very well.”

_ “The 501st are very loyal to their General.” _ Mace counterpointed.

“Then place them under the command of Commander Fox,” Obi-Wan reasoned. “Besides, if you really believe that they might aid Anakin and Ahsoka in their escape, Fox can keep an eye on them that way.” Mace said nothing, and for Obi-Wan, that spoke volumes. 

(He ignored the fact that he didn’t want the 501st to go for those reasons, but for an entirely different agenda, which just  _ reeked  _ attachment.)

“Go. Find Skywalker and Tano, you must.” Obi-Wan nodded respectfully, and shut off the holotransmittion.

_ Please, for just this once, follow orders, Anakin. I can’t lose you too.  _

**Anakin:**

His leg had reduced to a dull throb now, which Anakin figured was good. Of course, if he moved his left leg  _ at all  _ in the wrong direction, it felt like being burned alive, but he wasn’t dwelling on that now. 

“C’mon Master. Just a little longer.” Ahsoka cajoled, as she helped him limp down the street, right arm draped over her shoulders. “The place is just up ahead.” They had looked up the nearest apartment complex from the holopad Ahsoka pickpocketed from a Rodian. 

It was a dingy place, from the pictures on the Holonet showed them, and almost no ratings, except for the few: “Never staying there again.”, and, “Worst living arrangement of my life!” The complex had shut down a few years ago, and was half hidden by flashing billboards and obnoxious street merchants. It was perfect. 

They stopped in front of the building, and Anakin let out a breathless laugh.

“What?” Ahsoka asked, furrowing her brow, she followed his gaze upwards, and let out a chuckle. 

“C’mon Snips. Let’s make ourselves at home at the ‘Luxurious Tooka Cat.’” The sliding doors opened, and they half walked, half Ahsoka-dragged-him, inside. “Well, at least no one will find us here, right?” Anakin tried for a grin, but even he was a little- disappointed? Underwhelmed? 

The only light came from that which streamed through broken windows, dust and litter coating every available surface. The run-down receptionist desk had certainly seen better days, but he eyed a cash box, so maybe it wasn’t a total loss. 

“Let’s get a room, so we can look at that leg.” Ahsoka reminded him, and helped him limp towards the only elevator in the building, that looked just as run-down as the rest of the place. “So, which floor would you prefer, Master?” She joked, as she helped him lean against a wall. 

“Well, it’s a tough decision, Snips. Might be the toughest decision we ever make. We could stay on level one, or maybe be more adventurous, like trying level three, or something else entirely.” He had meant his words as a lighthearted tease, but the real truth behind his sentences spoke all the same. 

_ We have to prove ourselves innocent. And… then what? Surely they’d let us go back… wouldn’t they? But do we go back? Should we stay with the familiar? Or do we try something else? Do our destinies lie elsewhere? _

“Well, I think we should go to number two. It’s the least dirty button.” She tried for a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

The silence was more troubling than it had the right to be, Anakin decided.

**Ahsoka:**

She and Anakin trudged down the hallway, looking for the room that was the least dirty. They stopped in front of the metal door, the number too faded to make out. She reached for her saber, but Anakin stopped her.

“No, don’t.” 

“Why?” They needed to get in the room, and she didn’t have a card to slide in the scanner. 

“If someone comes in here, looking for us, and they see saber slashes, what’re they gonna think?” She sighed, reclipping her saber to her belt. 

“How do we get in, then?” He said nothing, only stretching out his hand, and twisting it again, like he had when he was rescuing her from the prison. Which she was  _ not  _ thinking about, thank you very much. They had enough worries without her additional trauma. The door slid open with a  _ woosh,  _ and her Master sagged against her. “Alright, let's get you in.” She murmured, and they shuffled into the room. 

A small kitchenette, a couple of chairs grouped around a table, and three doors, which Ahsoka assumed led to ‘freshers and bedrooms. She helped Anakin lower himself onto a chair, and slowly, using the Force, lifted his leg up to rest on the chair parallel. He gasped at the movement, and the pain spiked hotly in their bond, before it reduced to a dull throb. 

Her Master was a lot of things in the force- he was a  _ supernova.  _

An exploding star- that just kept exploding. Or maybe it was one never ending explosion. He was just so much  _ power  _ and  _ light  _ and the  _ force-  _ and when he was injured, his presence was instenstified a hundred-fold. 

“Master. You’re projecting.” She murmured softly, as she crouched down to look at his leg. He grimaced, and she could feel his normally durasteel strong shields slam back into place. 

“Sorry.” He winced, as he craned his neck to look at his leg. “Well… I think we first have to make sure I’m mobile, and then we can figure out our next move.” She  _ hummed  _ in response, and then stood up. 

“Alright. What do you need?” If he was caught off guard by the abrupt change in her demeanor, he didn’t say anything. Right now, she wasn’t Ahsoka, or Padawan, or even  _ Snips.  _ She was a new persona, Commander Tano. Commander Tano hadn’t come out before, but she was starting to like her. 

“Alcohol, like you said. We- we can use my tabards for bandages, and you can use my overtunic as a disguise. I also need-  _ ah-  _ Just- just the alcohol.” She took note of his rambling, and pegged it aside as an effect of the injury. It had to be that, right? 

Because if her Master didn’t know what to do, if Skyguy was afraid- then she had absolutely no hope of this resolving without her and Anakin ending up convicted. 

She watched as Anakin fiddled with the clasp of his belt, letting it slide to the floor. 

“Here-  _ ow,  _ when I left my arms up, pull- pull my tabards-  _ ah,  _ and my overtunic off.” 

“I’m going to have to cut your obi, unless you think you can stand to untie it.” She said, as she crouched down next to his waist. He shook his head, wincing.

“Nope- no standing-  _ standing bad, ow-  _ just- just cut it.” She nodded again, and reached for her shoto- which wasn’t there. Right. She had lost it in the chase.  _ Force,  _ it felt like years ago, but it had only happened less than an hour before. Was it really that short a time ago that she was running from the law?  _ You’re still running from the law.  _ She drew a shaky breath.  _ Don’t think about it, don’t think about it-  _

“Snips?” Anakin asked softly, reaching out to lay an organic hand on her shoulder. “Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”  _ Only on the inside.  _

“Just lost in thought.” She grinned-  _ hope she grinned.  _

“Oh, okay. Don’t mind me then, just sitting here, bleeding out.” Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but left out a small laugh.  _ Thank the Force for her Master.  _ She ignited her saber, and carefully, slowly, held it vertically to the obi, until the fabric charred, and it slipped away, the strip of fabric landing on the floor silently. 

She picked it up, and tied it around her head, positioning the disfigured obi so the knot was on top of her head, and it was wrapped underneath her lekku. She tucked her silka bead padawan braid into the dark material, and turned to grin at Anakin.

“How do I look?” He grinned, a little ruefully. 

“Like your average, everyday Togruta, with a lightsaber, who looks like a Jedi.” She grinned, again. She couldn’t help it. It felt like they were still on some undercover mission, and they were joking around, before Master Kenobi would come in, exasperated, saying they were late for the briefing. “Here, let me take off the overtunic.”

He rolled his shoulders back, grimacing slightly, as she watched his tabards fall to the floor. He lifted one arm above his head, almost crying out at the motion, but biting his lip. She noticed. He pulled his overtunic over his head, sighing in relief when he dropped his arms back to his side. She noticed. 

She was noticing lots of little things about her Master, lately. And it scared her. How could The Hero With No Fear be afraid? She slipped on the article of clothing. The jet black fabric fell well down to her knees, and she figured she’d have to roll up the sleeves at  _ least  _ three times. She wrinkled her nose. It was also wet. 

“Master, this  _ stinks.”  _ He laughed, and the dark thoughts that clouded her mind just moments before dissipated. Anakin always had that effect on her. He had a huge effect on her, actually. She came to want, (and at times, crave) his praise, his approval. Even the simplest, “Nice one, Snips.” Lit up her whole world.  _ Attachment.  _ She knew. She also found that she didn’t really care.

Sue her. She was a maverick. She came from a lineage of mavericks (and Master Kenobi  _ was  _ one, no matter if he’d admit it or not.) They were gonna figure this out.  _ They had too.  _ And, it would be on their own terms.  _ It should be,  _ at least. 

She stood up, rolling up the sleeves. Her Togruta sash was covered, her Padawan braid hidden away, lightsaber not even noticeable under the folds of her Master’s tunic.

“Alright. I’m gonna go find that alcohol. You’re okay if I leave you here?” She gave him a worried look. His hair (that had soaked through when he slipped in the pipeline, he told her) had dried, and crusted against his forehead awkwardly. The skintight undertunic had also plastered itself to his skin, and the bottom part of his trousers on his left leg was stained darkly. 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about me. Just get that alcohol, and- maybe some cloaks, if you can manage that? I think I saw a vendor selling some different ones. And you saw that cash box?” She nodded, and tried for a grin. 

“Don’t worry about me, Skyguy. I’ll be fine.” He looked at her with eyes that were too old for his age.

“I’m always gonna worry about you, Snips. It’s my job.” She smiled again, and squeezed his shoulder.

“I know. I’ll be back.” She placed her hand on her hip, needing extra reassurance that her saber was still there. She turned around in her borrowed tunic and makeshift headdress to walk out the door. 

“Ahsoka!” He called out, as the door slid open. She turned around. “Be careful, okay?” She nodded, gave him one last half-smile, walked out the door, and it slid shut behind her.

**Anakin:**

He sighed as she walked out the door, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, a habit he’d been doing since- well, as long as he could remember, he figured. He also remembered the soothing hands that would gently brush over his hand or his lip, gently reminding him to stop.

_ Obi-Wan. Mom.  _ Force- he couldn’t, with Obi-Wan, right now. Not until he knew where his former Master stood. He had to believe they were innocent, right? But- he  _ had  _ chased them. And then he said he had believed them. Be he still wanted to bring him in. And then-  _ ow.  _

He ran his index finger over his bottom lip, a small droplet of blood smeared across the digit. He had broken through the skin. Oops. Well, he had a good reason too!

His padawan was out there,  _ alone.  _ He knew she could take care of herself. It didn’t stop him from worrying. Worrying about everything else, too. But he wasn’t thinking about that now. Ahsoka deserved someone  _ whole  _ to protect her, not someone riddled by anxiety, depression, PTSD, and a whole bunch of other mental issues he didn’t want to focus on. Because  _ sweet Force,  _ he was a lot of work. 

Instead, he tapped on his comlink, using  _ Fulcrum  _ as he dialed Padme’s comm number. When she saw  _ Fulcrum,  _ she knew it would be urgent. That is, if she even wanted to talk to him. Kriff- if even  _ Padme  _ didn’t believe him- well. Time to bite the baster bullet. He pressed the button, and only had to wait a few seconds before-

_ “Ani?”  _ He let out a breath he most definitely had been holding. 

“Yeah, yeah, Angel, it’s me. I-”

_ “Anakin Skywalker, what in the Gods names do you think you’re doing? Do you know how worried I’ve been? Are you alright? Is Ahsoka okay? What’s happening?”  _ He sighed, and brought a mechanical hand up to rub his temples.

“I’m sorry love-” She hummed on the other end of the line, and he couldn’t help but grin. _Oh force did he love her._ “I- I didn’t want to worry you. I just- I went to the prison, to talk to Ahsoka, and they wouldn’t let me in, and something just- _snapped,_ I guess. I’m sure you’ve heard about the rest of it by now.” 

She sighed, and Anakin felt a tightening in his chest.  _ Please please please believe me believe us we’re innocent-  _ Almost as if she could sense what he was thinking, she said,

_ “I know you and Ahsoka didn’t kill those people, but Anakin, running only makes you look more guilty. You know that.” _ He squeezed his eyes shut again, and a drop of water ran down the side of his face. He wasn’t sure if it was from his sopping hair, or if it was a tear. 

“We’re going to prove our innocence. I know you believe me. But no one else will.”

_ “What about-” _

“I don’t know about Obi-Wan. I just- ugh! He doesn’t trust me. Or maybe he does, but he doesn’t trust Ahsoka, which would be ridiculous, but anything’s possible, I guess- and- I can’t make him choose.” Padme had no answer, as she did what appeared to be mulling over the words.  _ Us- me- or the Order.  _ She sighed, again. They both seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. 

_“Alright. We both know you can’t keep using a Jedi communicator, so we’ll have to make a plan quickly.”_ _We’ll?_ Warmth flooded his chest. He could always count on his wife. _“I’ll see what I can find throughout the other Senators, gossip, and such. You do some work on your end.”_ He gave an affirming _mhm_ sound, and he could picture her nodding, a calculating look brewing in her beautiful eyes, her “politics face” on. 

“Padme?”

_ “Yes?” _ He swallowed, Adam’s Apple bobbing, and pushed the thick feeling down his throat.

“I love you.” Oh, how he did. He would move galaxies, tear everything down and build it back up again, burn from the deepest depths of the universe- just for her. 

_ “I love you too. As soon as it’s safe, comm me.”  _

“Okay.” He plucked the commlink off his glove, and crushed it with his non-organic hand. In a way, it felt strangely final. 

**Ahsoka:**

She stopped by the cash box in the dingy lobby, grinning when she opened it.  _ That’s definitely enough to get us some supplies- maybe even off Coruscant.  _ Then she felt like smacking herself in the face.

**::Umm, Master?::** Then she was hit with  _ worryworrynonono- _

**::What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something hap-::**

**::Master, I’m fine.::** Relief flooded through the bond, and she would be damned if her chest didn’t warm with the reminder of how much her Master cared about her.  **::Just- wouldn’t bacta work better than alcohol?::** She could practically see the  _ oh  _ face her Master was making, and then she felt the  _ laughter  _ over the bond.

**::Yeah, yeah. Just get back here soon, okay?::** She sent an affirmative pulse over the bond. 

She grinned as she once again looked over the contents, reaching under her borrowed tunic to open one of the compartments on her belt, and stuffed a generous handful of credits inside. She walked outside, skeptically eyeing all of the vendors. Her gaze settled on one in the back, where it looked less-  _ dingy,  _ than the rest.

She walked forward, keeping her head low and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She figured she’d get a few questioning glances, what with her oversized clothes that looked strange to even the people of the lower levels, and the bounty that was undoubtedly on her and her Master’s heads.

The Twi’Lek manning the booth looked bored, playing with one of the bracelets on her wrist, not noticing her. She cleared her throat awkwardly, and the Twi’Lek startled, looking at her with curious green eyes. 

“You’re not from around these parts, are you?” She asked, not unkindly. Ahsoka found herself nodding her head, then stopped abruptly. Why was she giving this woman information?! “What can I do for you, youngling?” Her accented voice caught Ahsoka off-guard.

Yes, she was a youngling- but,  _ kriff,  _ she didn’t feel like one. She was a  _ soldier,  _ for crying out loud.  _ She wasn’t supposed to be a soldier.  _ But- it wasn’t the time to dwell on those thoughts. 

“I’m- I need to buy some cloaks.” Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. “Two. One for me, and one for-” She paused. “My brother.” She decided. Even though it was a lie- it wasn’t  _ really _ , was it? 

The Twi’lek nodded, and ruffled through some of the various cloaks she had on her counter. She pulled out two hooded ponchos, a light blue one that she assumed was for her, and a dark forest green that was the right size for-

“How did you know?” She found herself asking. The Twi’Lek only winked. 

“Just a feeling. You better run along now- I fear there are others who are looking for you, and they won’t be as kind as me.” Ahsoka nodded, dumbstruck, and reached to give the woman some of the stolen credits, but when she looked up- the purple Twi’Lek was gone. The whole stand was gone. 

Had she hallucinated it? But- the ponchos were still in her hands. She remembered the accented voice- clear as day. Had she blacked out? She didn’t have time to focus on it. She shrugged out of the borrowed tunic, and bunched it up, throwing it to the side of the street.  _ It would just be extra weight, right?  _

She pulled the blue poncho on. The fabric fell halfway down her thighs in a “v” shape, and the material was bunched up on one of the shoulders. She was sure it had a more fancy name, but she wasn’t  _ Padme,  _ so she had no idea. She pulled the hood up over her head, and walked to the side of the street, hidden by the shadows.

She pressed the comlink button on, and spoke in a hushed whisper.

“Barriss, it’s Ahsoka.” She felt a momentary pulse of guilt flash through her. Was this okay? Should she have cleared it with her Master? What was the protocol for Jedi Padawans and their Masters who were on the run? 

_ “Ahsoka, I’m so glad you’re safe.”  _

“Safe, but on the run.” Her face was illuminated by the green light, and she turned so she was facing away from the bypassers on the street.

_ “Where?”  _ Which level was she on anyway? 1319, or something like that. 

“I can’t tell you-”  _ Because I don’t know myself.  _ “But someone is definitely trying to frame me and my Master.” She heard a pause. Static crackled for a second, and she heard something that could’ve been the sound of a comlink turning on, before Barriss said,

“Your Master? Is he alright?”

“He’s gonna be okay, I hope. He got injured in the chase.”

It’s not safe for you to call me using the Jedi Communicator. Find another way to contact me.” 

“I will.” She promised. They would need all the help they could get. 

_ “In the meantime, I’ll do some digging, and see if I can find anything out to help you on my end.”  _ She left out a breath she was holding.

“Thank you, Barriss.”

_ “Be safe.”  _ The comlink shut off with a beep. 

She heard two faint sounds of  _ snap-hiss  _ behind her, and she whipped around to catch the red blades with her saber.

**Unknown:**

_ “My Lord, they are on level 1318. Skywalker is injured, and Tano is alone. She suspects nothing about -----.”  _

“Good. Inform the ------- to execute plan Alpha VIII.”

_ “It shall be done, My Lord.” _

**Unknown:**

“Tell ----- to execute Alpha VIII.”

_ “Yes, ---- --------.” _

**Unknown:**

“---- -------- has informed me that it is time to execute Alpha VIII.”

_ “Affirmative, -------.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sending everyone good and healthy thoughts! Hope you enjoyed!


	3. absence or nonrecognition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> waltzes in two weeks late, drops this in your inbox, and huries out before you can all come run after me with pitchforks.
> 
> Enjoy!!!!

The red sabers formed an ‘x’ that she tried to catch with her blade. Her opponent (who, judging by the dual red lightsabers, Ahsoka guessed was Ventress,) unfortunately had the element of surprise. She kept one blade locked with Ahsoka’s, while she brought the other to the Togruta’s side. 

Ahsoka backflipped, only for Ventress to knock over her landing with her ankle, and she pinned Ahsoka flat on her back, sabers crossed just over her neck, as she leaned forward.

“ _ Well, well, I didn’t believe it when I first heard it, but I guess it’s true. The Senate has put a bounty on your horned little head. _ ” Her voice, distorted by the mask, came out cold, and harsh. Deactivating one lightsaber, she brought up a hand to tap a button on the side of her helmet, confirming her suspicions. “And I’m going to be the one who collects.” Her eyes widened in panic, before she started struggling against the Dathomirian’s hold.

“Ventress, it was  _ you,  _ wasn’t it?!” She sent a brief tug over her bond with her Master, but it was- muted?  _ Did the nerf herder fall asleep?  _ Ventress grabbed her lightsaber from her belt, and clipped it to her own. “You were behind all of this, you framed me and Anakin!” She glanced around, looking for an escape, before noting the screens that had her and her Master’s faces on them, with a hefty reward for their capture. 

They were more recent photos, herself scowling and chest puffed out menacingly, and Anakin’s face set into a grim but determined look, arms (that were most likely holding a saber) swinging at some unseen opponent. 

She mentally scowled when she noticed her Master had a higher bounty than her. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  _ How dare she- _

“Yes. You. Do!” She tried to escape with each word, writhing under Ventress’s hold. Her chest heaved, and the lightsaber moved closer to her neck by a fraction of an inch. “So what are you now, a bounty hunter?” She scowled. 

“Yes, and someone who knows how to make easy money.” She said, moving back her saber, and yanking her up by her arm.  _ Her arm that was still sore from the chase, thank you very much! _

During the exchange, she never noticed that her comlink fell off. 

***

They made their way through the streets, towards a ship lot near the main portal. Ventress kept a firm grip on her left upper arm, though she had allowed Ahsoka the privilege of keeping her cloak on, though the cloak she bought for Anakin had been lost in the attack. She briefly tried to nudge their bond again, but nothing. Was she too far away? Was Ventress doing something to suppress it?

“You think you’re just gonna hand me over? And then what? Get a pat on the shoulder?” She bit out scathingly. “You’re a Separatist war criminal and a Sith. They’ll have us both in prison before you’ve said your name.”  _ At least maybe Skyguy can get away.  _ With her mask back on, Ventress’s voice was distorted again.

_ “I don’t have to hand you over to the Jedi. I can hand you over to the bondsman and still get paid.” _ She briefly wondered who the bondsman was.  _ “I’m gonna get my money whether you’re dead or alive.” _ She rolled her eyes, and turned to look back at Ventress.

“Hah, good luck. Despite what you hear, I’m still a Jedi.” But even as she said it, the words didn’t ring as true as they once did. Ventress revealed her face again, to look directly at her, blue eyes to blue eyes. 

“I’m afraid the other Jedi no longer see it that way.” She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, like she was drowning in an endless river. But she wouldn’t give Ventress that satisfaction. So she merely said,

“We’ll see.” 

**Obi-Wan:**

He stared down at the roads of Coruscant, deserted in favour of the warmth and shelter from the rain and wind their homes provided. He gripped the edge of the door on the standard Coruscant Police Gunship harder than was strictly necessary. He paid it no mind. Anakin had blocked him out. 

He had been expecting it, of course, but it didn’t mean it had hurt any less. There were only two times their bond had been this close to breaking before, and he wasn’t sure Jabiim or the Rako Hardeen debacle chalked up to the severity of their current situation. 

“Send the probe droids out.” He informed Fox, struggling to keep the emotion out of his voice. The ship continued to descend in the main ventilation shaft, and he focused on the current mission, so he wouldn’t be privy to his thoughts. 

He remembered the first time he had taken Anakin to the lower levels. Well, he hadn’t  _ taken  _ him, per se, as much as Anakin had skived off class, gotten involved in an illegal contraband trade involuntarily, and Obi-Wan had to pick him up from the lower-level jail. 

_ Well, I supposed he “picked Ahsoka up,” from jail too… in a sense.  _

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something, some seven levels down. “Over there!” He yelled, to be heard above the wind. The gunship flew down, searchlights all shining in the location he had pointed out. 

The closer they got, the more the outline of Ahsoka became clearer. She was standing next to another figure, who grabbed her arm, whispering something in her ear. He could just make out Ahsoka nodding, before he jumped out of the ship, running towards them. 

“Ahsoka!” He yelled, to be heard over the rain.  _ If she and Anakin could just sit down, we could work this out.  _ The other figure ran forward to activate the standard ray shield that every entrance to the main portal was adorned with. 

He stopped running right before he would have hit the ray shield, just in time to see Ahsoka and the woman turning the corner, escaping into the Lower Levels. 

He furrowed his brow, bringing up a hand to stroke his chin. He  _ had _ wondered what happened to her, after she helped him escape from Maul. 

“Ventress.” He murmured. He could’ve sworn Ahsoka had given him a fleeting glance before she turned the corner. He could’ve sworn he’d met her gaze.

**Ahsoka:**

“If we leave now- I’d be willing to negotiate with you.” She paused. She could hear the gunships flying closer and closer, the light footfalls of Master Kenobi running after them. _Sorry, Master._ She nodded. 

Ventress yanked on her arm-  _ which still hurt!-  _ and she turned around, running. Just before they rounded the corner, she looked back at Master Kenobi, the storm raging in the controlled atmosphere of Coruscant reflected in his eyes. Then she turned around, and continued to follow Ventress. 

Eventually, they came to a stop in a darkened alleyway, not unlike the one Ahsoka had encountered Ventress in just thirty minutes ago.  _ Was it really so little time that had passed?  _ It seemed like a lifetime ago. 

“So. You wanted to… negotiate.” She said, speaking sceptically. Ventress let go of her arm, and walked around in a semicircle, before facing her again. Ahsoka crossed her arms, and raised an eye marking. “I’m listening.” Ventress examined her fingernails.

“I might be… inclined, to not turn you in, if you can offer me something greater than the bounty on your head.”

_ What was her angle?  _ Ventress obviously wanted something, it was just a matter of the fact that she was too prideful to admit it.

“What do you want?” She asked.  _ Force, if only I were Obi-Wan.  _ The Dathomirian paused, as if she was figuring out how to phrase her next words. 

“I want revenge against Dooku.”  _ What?  _ Ventress already knew the Republic wanted Dooku incapacitated. That didn’t benefit Ventress in any way. There was a catch. There had to be.

“Well, we want to stop him. You already know that.” Ventress paused, and looked at her, blue eyed gaze meeting her own. It always puzzled Ahsoka that Ventress had blue eyes instead of a sickly sith yellow. She  _ was  _ a darksider, wasn’t she? There was a pause. Then,

“I want asylum.” Ah, there it was. Not an ultimatum, per se, but a bargain. And Ventress already knew she couldn’t promise that. Couldn’t agree. 

“I can speak to the Senate, on your behalf. I- perhaps I can get them to grant you a full pardon.”  _ Kark it.  _ Ventress caught her hesitation. She knew she couldn’t guarantee she’d follow through on her promises. But then the bounty hunter caught her off-guard again. 

“Not from the Senate. I want the Order’s protection.” Was she crazy? She knew Ahsoka was being hunted down by the Order. How could she possibly get the Jedi to agree to that?  _ Why couldn’t she be negotiating this with Master Obi-Wan?  _ And then it hit her. 

“I can’t guarantee that either. But I can promise you a conversation with Master Kenobi. You know as well as I that he’d be more open to hearing out your case than I’d be. He has more pull with the Council, anyway.” Ventress laughed, ruefully. 

“How can you guarantee me an audience with Kenobi? Last I checked, he was hunting you down.”  _ Well, it’s called: get Anakin Skywalker to do his magic-shit puppy eyes that even I can’t beat.  _ She felt it best not reveal that information right away, though. 

“I have my ways. Ask anyone who’s ever known me, they all know I don’t go back on my word.” Then, Ventress surprised her. She laughed. That wasn’t the surprising part. It was the fact that it was a  _ real  _ laugh, without a mocking undertone, or a mirthless quality. 

“I knew I liked you better than Skywalker.” Yeah, definitely not the time to reveal that her way was her Master.

Ventress slowly unclipped her lightsaber from her belt, and she reached out to grab it, but Ventress captured her wrist in an ironclad grip. “Remember, I don’t play by the rules of your silly little games. I’m not bound by  _ honour,  _ or  _ morals.”  _ She spit out the words, as if she couldn’t possibly speak them for longer than was absolutely necessary. “If the tide is against you, don’t think I’ll forget about the bounty on your head.” 

She scowled, but nodded, taking the lightsaber, and hooking it on her belt beneath her poncho, where her hand brushed the side of her pouch of credits. An idea quickly formed in her brain.

“I want something else out of this deal too.” She blurted out, before she could stop herself. “Help me clear me and my Master’s name, and you get all these credits.” She unclipped the pouch, and held it out, just out of Ventress’s reach. She knew that it wasn’t exactly the wisest idea to reveal her trump card, and she wasn’t consulting her Master about  _ any  _ of this, but it wasn’t her fault she couldn’t reach him, so she had to make do. 

“That’s pocket money. What’s that worth to me?” She paused, thinking. Then,

“There’s more where that came from.” The former assassin paused, giving her a once over, before giving her a single, curt nod. 

“Don’t even think about double-crossing me.” She added, voice smooth as silk. Ahsoka knew she was walking a dangerous path. Ventress could, at any moment, turn on her, and collect her bounty, which was significantly more than what she was offering, credit wise. The real question was how much she wanted the Order’s protection. “What’s your plan?” 

“I need to make a call.”

**Unknown:**

They smiled as they picked up the fallen comlink. Next to it lay a green cloak that the girl had dropped. A shame. It looked like good quality. They knelt down, feeling the stitching in the fabric, eyes widening as they recognized the pattern. 

_ Runan.  _

The figure let out a mirthless chuckle.  _ She had a lot of nerve coming here.  _ They grabbed the comlink, tuned it to the frequency they wanted, and waited. They were good at waiting.

_ “Hello? Who is this? How do you have this comlink?”  _ The voice spoke harshly, but even a youngling could hear the fear hidden underneath. The mask they had stolen made their voice deeper. Impossible to decipher. 

“If you want to see your Padawan again, come to the munitions warehouse on Level 1315.”

_ “What do you want with her?!” Childsplay,  _ thought the person.

“I suggest you listen to me, if you want to see her again. Alive, that is.”

_ “What. Do. You. Want. With-”  _ This was the man their Master wanted as their apprentice? They weren’t very impressed. 

“Don’t bother tracing this conversation.”

_ “Who the hell are-”  _ The figure broke the comlink in half with a satisfying  _ snap.  _ A broken wire sparked, temporarily burning their hand. They paid it no mind. They grabbed their own comlink, and held it up to their lips.

_ “My Lord, Alpha VIII is underway.” _

**Anakin:**

He listened to the static with growing horror. 

_ Ahsoka.  _

_ No no no not losing her- _

He stood up on shaky legs, crying out in pain, but managing to stay upright. He crouched down slowly, gritting his teeth at the wave of agony the new movement sent, and examined his lower left leg. 

He slowly peeled the fabric away from the wound, grimacing again. This wouldn’t work. He needed to get this done as soon as possible, needed to  _ get to Ahsoka-  _

But he couldn’t reach her.  _ Why couldn’t he reach her?  _ It terrified him. And suddenly, he was filled with the adrenaline again, the rush of terror a significant enough painkiller for him. 

The bleeding had stopped, and he knew this was probably a mistake, and that if he were here, Kix would  _ nail  _ him for this, but he didn’t have another option. 

He  _ yanked  _ the shrapnel out of his leg, unable to stop himself from crying out. The blood that was trickling down his leg wasn’t as bad as he was anticipating, although the smell was nauseating (as it always was.)

(You’d think a twenty-one year old General who’d been fighting for three years would be acclimated to the stench.)

(He wasn’t.)

He grabbed one of his tabards, gritting his teeth as he tied it around his injury as tight as he could. It  _ hurt-  _ Force, it hurt-  _ but he had to get to Ahsoka.  _

In a split-second-genius-decision that even  _ Obi-Wan  _ would be proud of, he decided to cut the remaining tabard in half with his saber, and tie a half around the lower portion of his face, so it covered from underneath his chin to over the tip of his nose. There. Inconspicuous. 

And in all honesty, he didn’t really  _ look  _ like a Jedi, so much as a vigilante, or some type of fugitive. Which he was. But Coruscant was full of those, so he wasn’t really worried. 

He stood up, swaying for a second, before righting himself again. He reached down to hook his saber to his belt- but it was missing.  _ Huh.  _ It had probably fallen off in the chase, or something like that. Shame. He had bacta in it and everything. 

Since he had nowhere else to put it, he stuck his lightsaber in the boot on his right leg, and prayed that it didn’t accidentally activate. He’d prefer not to lose or injure any more limbs,  _ thank you very much.  _

He didn’t focus on much as he ran out of the complex, into the twisting streets of level 1318. He just knew that he had to get down to 1315, and  _ fast.  _ What if she was already-  _ no.  _ He wouldn’t think like that. He tugged experimentally on their bond again.  _ Nothing.  _ He could feel nothing, and it terrified him. 

He raced towards the main portal, skidding to a stop, right before the edge. He had to get three levels down.  _ How?  _ Then he noticed the speeders lined up.  _ What’s one more crime?  _

He grabbed the closest one he could find, (a BARC model, that on a good day, cost around 9,500 credits, armed with two lightblaster cannons, and two antipersonnel light lasers, his brain helpfully supplied,) and hotwired it as fast as he could. 

_ Kark. Twenty seconds. I’m getting slow.  _ The stupid thought flew through his mind, as he powered up the speeder, and then holding his breath, let himself drop over the edge. That, of course, was when he remembered that the BARC model was for GAR and Coruscanti Police use only, making stealing one a higher crime. Oh well. He was already accused of terrorism and homicide. 

He kept to the side of the shaft, slowly lowering himself down, until he reached an open portal on the side of the shaft that led to level 1315. He slowed the speeder to a stop, and jumped off, impressed with himself when he grimaced only slightly beneath the mask. 

Now he just had to find that munitions warehouse. And fast. He ran into the streets of 1315, letting the Force guide him. He was getting closer. He didn’t know how he knew, just that he did. He closed his eyes briefly, and that, of course, was when he had to trip over the piece of litter on the ground, and quite literally fall into Rex’s arms.

The Captain helped him stand rightway up, mistaking him for another random civilian, most likely.

“Sorry! Sorry- erm, sorry.” His voice shifted about three different octaves, until he finally settled on his natural Outer Rim accent that he as a Padawan had worked so hard to get rid of, and more importantly, a voice Rex wouldn’t recognize. Rex would, however, still recognize the upper half of his face. Anakin imagined his Captain’s eyes widening behind his helmet. Then,

“No problem, sir. You’d best be on your way, a General is coming through here, and it’d be trouble if he finds you.” _What?_ Was Rex- _helping him?_ The thought sent a rush of warmth to his chest, and he immediately increased every nice thing he’d said about Rex tenfold. He was about to run away, and find another way to get to the warehouse, when the clone said,

“Keep her safe, General.” It was so quiet, the surrounding members of the 501st, Coruscanti Police, and the Coruscant Guard couldn’t hear, where they were stationed in various outposts a few meters away. He gave his Captain an affirming nod. 

_ Always.  _

“And sir? Take care of yourself too.” The fuzzy feeling in his chest threatened to overload him, and it was only at the brief reminder that his brain sent of  _ Ahsoka,  _ did he turn away. In the distance, he heard Rex talking to Fives.

“What was that commotion, Sir?”

“Nothing. Just some civvie getting lost.” Their voices faded out, but the warm feeling in his chest didn’t.

He clung to that warm feeling as he reached into the force again, asking for guidance.He couldn’t take the streets or rooftops, that would take too long. That left public transport. 

He scaled the side of a building as fast as he could, and crouched down low, waiting for the repulsor craft to whiz by.  _ Three, two, one-  _ he lept, and nimbly landed down on the top of one of the cars. He leg throbbed angrily, but he grit his teeth, and kept his head low. 

Using the force to center himself, he bent his knees, supporting himself on his ankles and fingertips. He scanned the surrounding area, looking for  _ something.  _ He wished he could close his eyes for just a minute- just breath in the polluted air that smelled faintly of rain and sewage.

It was in no way the purest oxygen in the galaxy, but it was comforting all the same.  _ How did it all get so messed up?  _ He had no idea.  _ What was he thinking?  _ He hadn’t been. And now he and his Padawan were on the run for their lives. 

He sighed, feeling his eyes become uncomfortably wet.  _ You mustn't let your emotions cloud your judgement, Padawan.  _ Even when he was hunting him down, Obi-Wan had a place in his head. 

_ Just wizard.  _

The train jolted, and he lost his balance. He flailed his arms, desperately trying to right himself. The red-hot throbbing in his leg didn’t help either. He landed awkwardly on his back, and in the corner of his eye, he saw-  _ is that what I’m looking for?!  _

Even as he questioned himself, he knew that was where he had to go. He felt a  _ pull  _ to it, or rather, someone in it. 

_ Ahsoka.  _

**Ahsoka:**

“So, that’s it?” She asked Ventress, as she stared at the abandoned warehouse, lit orange from surrounding light sources. 

“Yes, it is.” The bounty hunter agreed. Ahsoka held out the pouch of credits. Ventress took the bag, and clipped it to her belt. 

“Well, thanks for getting me this far.” Ventress  _ hmmed,  _ and turned to look at her.

“Don’t forget about the conversation with Kenobi.” She nodded, and surveyed the warehouse again. She chuckled, slightly.

“You know, I  _ never  _ saw us working together.” Ventress gave her a look, as if saying,  _ ‘welcome to the real world.’  _

“These are strange times.” Then she turned away, and walked into the protection the shadows provided. She realized Ventress never brought up the more handsome sum she herself had offered her. 

_ Strange. Maybe she really has… changed.  _

She walked slowly into the warehouse, examining boxes and looking for something,  _ anything.  _

“How do I find clues, if I have no idea what I’m looking for?” She murmured, crouching down low to examine-  _ something.  _ She shivered, and pulled the cloak tighter around herself. That’s when she heard the footsteps. 

She paused, and stepped forward slowly, holding her saber in her preferred reverse grip. Her heart thudded in her chest, but it was no different than any other mission she’d been on. 

(It made her sad beyond what she could possibly describe to say she was used to this.)

“Show yourself!” She called, wincing when her voice echoed off of the durasteel walls.  _ Oops.  _ She hadn’t meant for it to be  _ that  _ loud. For a second, there was silence. Then, 

“Ahsoka?”  _ Was that-  _

“Master?” Anakin stepped out from behind a corner, his saber lit and held in front of him. He was limping slightly, but he was  _ standing,  _ so she considered that improvement. He had made his own disguise too- the bottom half of his face, concealed by what looked like one of his tabards. 

“Ahsoka!” He rushed forward, deactivating his lightsaber, and pulled her into his arms. She returned the crushing-but-in-a-good-way embrace with surprise, but with equal gusto.

Then, as if someone flipped a switch, he pushed her away, not unkindly, and quickly scanned her, like he did after every mission, checking for injuries. “Are you alright? How’re you- what’s wrong- who’s keeping-”

She furrowed her brow, looking over him, concerned. He seemed- terrified. His eyes had a wild, feral look to them, that he only got when he seemed  _ really  _ concerned, and she still  _ couldn’t feel him, what was up with that-  _

“I’m fine, Skyguy.” She smiled up at him, pushing her thoughts away into a locked corner of her mind labeled  _ later.  _

“What? But- but- they said-” She got a sinking feeling in her stomach, like she was standing atop a precipice, and she just  _ had  _ to look over the edge, but if she did, she was certain she’d fall.

“Who said?” Before her Master could answer, she heard a clanging sound somewhere near the entrance. They froze. She swallowed, reaching underneath her poncho to grab her saber. “You wouldn’t have happened to bring anyone interested in helping us with you, would you?” His face was grim as he experimentally twisted his lightsaber in his mechno hand. “That’s what I thought.”

Who stepped out of the shadowed entrance was… not who she was expecting. “Ventress? I thought we had parted ways.” 

_ “Ventress?”  _ Her Master mouthed, his brow furrowed. He looked like he had a million questions to ask, and she had a few of her own, but then Ventress ignited both of her sabers, and then  _ chaos.  _

Ventress wasn’t  _ fighting  _ like herself. She retained the amount of skill, but she was always brutal, sloppy attacks, where here, her moves were calculated, not lacking in strength, but that brute mentality was-  _ gone.  _

She and her Master on any good day could’ve overpowered her- it would’ve taken effort, but they could’ve done it. Or at least driven her back enough to escape. But it  _ wasn’t  _ any good day. They were exhausted, physically and emotionally spent, and Anakin was injured. She had a sinking suspicion they weren’t going to win this fight. 

She ducked, as the bounty hunter chucked an empty storage bin at her. Her Master came forward, preparing to strike while Ventress was occupied, but she was too fast. She force pushed him back as she brought a saber up to meet Ahsoka’s, the green plasma blade against the red briefly causing a flash of white. 

The figure started pushing forward, pressing down where their lightsabers were interlocked, and she was losing ground, and the person was too strong,  _ and her grip was slipping-  _ when her Master placed a well-timed kick to the center of Ventress’s chest, and she was flung backwards. 

_ “Thanks.”  _ She managed to get out, panting heavily. She noticed how much her Master was favoring his right leg. 

“No problem.” He replied, shifting into his  _ ready  _ stance, as Ventress came hurtling forwards. She and Anakin locked blades, and then with her ot

her saber, she caught Ahsoka’s assault from where she was going to attack the bounty hunter’s unprotected side. 

_ Is this what Skyguy and Master Kenobi feel like everytime they fight her?  _

She stuck out her foot, spinning to perform a roundhouse kick, when Ventress grabbed her foot, and  _ yanked,  _ sending her crashing into the wall. She cried out as she hit the surface, slumping down. 

Her Master yelled in outrage, and his attacks grew more wild, more ferocious, when he stuck out his hand, and the former assassin was lifted off the ground, her hands coming to grasp at her neck as she was force choked. 

“Master!” She cried out. “Don’t!”  _ Don’t murder them. It’s not worth it.  _ He scowled as he dropped his hand, and Ventress stumbled as she was dropped. Anakin rushed over to her side, extending a hand to help her up. She gratefully took it, and he was just about to pull her up, when she shouted,  _ “Look out!”  _

He ignited his blade just in time to catch both of Ventress’s, and they continued their momentarily interrupted dance. Green, blue, and red clashed together, and Ahsoka was lost in a haze of  _ slash, backflip, parry, duck.  _ Then Ventress ran.  _ Like she always did.  _ She just- deactivated her sabers, and  _ ran.  _

Her head was spinning, and she felt  _ lost. Scared.  _ She ran after Ventress, her Master hot on her heels. Then, as suddenly as she’d started running, she’d stopped. She reached out her hand, making a pulling motion, and a piece of the metal exoskeleton came crashing down on top of them. 

She and Anakin tried to catch it using the Force, but either they were too tired, or the metal was too heavy, and it came crashing down on top of them. She cried as it hit her already-sore ribs, and the mass of it was enough to send them crashing through the floor, and they landed on the debris on the ground below them. 

She gasped for air,  _ she couldn’t breathe why couldn’t she breathe-  _ when her Master grabbed her under her arms, and pulled her up to stand on unsteady legs, and she could  _ breathe.  _ Anakin stumbled back, crying out as he put pressure on both of his legs. 

She gasped as she looked at the blood-soaked tabard, and moved to gingerly wrap his arm around her shoulders. She glanced around, looking for an exit, looking for…  _ something.  _

She glanced at a wall, several rows of boxes stacked on top of them. In the dim lighting, and the dust filled air, she could just make out what they said. 

“Nanodroids?” She questioned.  _ Was this supposed to be the clue?  _ Anakin straightened up at that, glancing at her confusedly. 

Then they heard the pounding of footsteps, and Wolffe and Master Plo and Master Obi-Wan and Master Windu were running in, and she and her Master were backing up instinctively, and she tried to say something but she was just  _ so tired,  _ and then a trooper fired two stun-blasts, and she blacked out before she even hit the floor. 

**Obi-Wan:**

_ “The Senate requests that Ahsoka Tano be indicted for acts of Treason against the Republic.”  _

“A fair trial, Padawan Tano and Knight Skywalker will have.” Obi-Wan wanted to scream that,  _ no, they won’t! The Council has made a  _ not unanimous  _ decision, and are condemning two possibly-probably-hopefully innocent people!  _ But he stayed silent. “In accordance with Jedi tradition.”

_ Jedi tradition?  _ Obi-Wan wanted to scoff. The irony that “peacekeepers,” were soldiers in war was not lost on him.  _ What has “Jedi tradition” deteriorated to?  _

_ “Ah, yes, Jedi tradition. I’m afraid, Master Yoda, that the Senate believes that an internal Jedi trial would seem… biased.”  _ The hologram flickered slightly, but Obi-Wan still caught the malicious gleam in Tarkin’s eye. “Therefore, the Senate asks that the Council expel the accused personnel from the Jedi Order, so that she may be put to a Republic Military tribunal.” 

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows raised, and his thoughts drifted to Anakin and Ahsoka lying in the Detention Center. He briefly locked eyes with Master Yoda, but the Grandmaster gave away nothing. “There, they will receive more impartial judgment.” 

“And who would represent the ‘accused personnel’ in this tribunal, Admiral?” He kept his tone cool, and neutral. Saesee Tiin glanced at him skeptically. 

“The would be up to the Council,  _ General,  _ ” He started, looking at Obi-Wan, before turning back to Mace and Yoda. “But I would recommend someone outside the Order.”

“Of course.” He said, knowing Tarkin’s last words were directed at him. Mace gave him a disapproving look.

“The Council will act as they deem necessary.” He looked at the hologram of Tarkin. “Thank you, Admiral.” The hologram disconnected. 

“Surely, we cannot do what Tarkin suggests.” And the worst part was, it wasn’t even out of defence for Anakin and Ahsoka. He was hoping for a much, much more selfish reason.

_ The Order couldn’t have fallen so far it would abandon one of its own.  _ “We need to stand together  _ with  _ Anakin and Ahsoka.” And maybe,  _ maybe,  _ it was the slightest bit out of defence for his former Padawan and his Padawan. Maybe,  _ maybe,  _ he wasn’t as neutral as he was supposed to be. 

“And yet, there’s evidence that they are indeed the masterminds behind the attack on the Temple.” He had been expecting nothing different, but it still  _ shocked  _ him to think that Council Members could so easily turn on Anakin and Ahsoka. 

And it shocked him himself that there was that small, nagging feeling of doubt that insisted Anakin and Ahsoka  _ were  _ guilty. 

“They were found in possession of nanodroid explosives.” He wanted to argue that  _ no, they weren’t. There were clear signs of a struggle, and a fight, and that they may have just accidentally stumbled across them.  _ But- they were the same type of droids Letta Turmond fed to her husband. That couldn’t be a coincidence. 

_ Please, please, let it be a coincidence.  _ “This alone is enough to convict her.” Tiin reminded them. 

“I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan.”  _ It’s not just sentiment! Look at the facts!  _ “But, if the Council does as you suggest, it could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate.”  _ So that’s what we have become. The Senate’s lapdogs.  _ Mace sighed. “I’m afraid we have little choice.”

And Master Kenobi, the Negotiator, believed him.

But Obi-Wan, the  _ mentor,  _ the  _ friend,  _ wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. 

“To the Chamber of Judgement, Skywalker and his Padawan will go. And in our decision, may the Force guide us.” 

But Obi-Wan, the  _ Jedi _ , knew that even the Force had no say in this matter.

**Anakin:**

He gasped as he came to, bolting upright, before gentle hands were pushing him back down. 

“Hey, hey! It’s just me.” His whole body felt sore, like he had been trampled by a herd of wild banthas. He groaned, sitting up slower this time. 

“Where are we?” He asked, blinking furiously, pushing away the last remains of sleep. He looked around at the harsh orange glow coming from the single light in the center of the ceiling, the durasteel walls, ceiling, and floor. The door was reinforced heavily, a single bed bolted to the wall that he was currently sitting on. There was a curtained off corner, where he knew the ‘fresher to be. “You’ve got to be kriffing me.”

Ahsoka shrugged in a helpless sort of way, where she was sitting on the ground next to him. The cloak she had been wearing was missing, and he noticed the tabard he had tied around his face was gone, too. As were their sabers. “They put us in the karking  _ detention center?  _ This is the kind of room they use to contain darksiders!” He was furious, tired, hurt- only,  _ no.  _ He wasn’t hurt. He looked down at his leg- which was neatly bandaged, and he could faintly smell traces of bacta.  _ Well, at least they were nice enough to do that.  _ “What happened?” He finally asked.

“How much do you remember?” She asked instead. The better question she should’ve asked was,  _ how much do you want to admit to remembering? _ Instead of answering, (since she already knew his answer,) he asked yet another question. 

“How long’ve I been out?” She stretched her arms above her head, rolling her neck around, and he could hear the audible  _ crack.  _

_ Long enough for our joints to get stiff, then.  _

“I’m not sure. I woke up about an hour ago, at least, I think it was an hour. We could’ve been unconscious for a while though, I’m assuming.” He was about to ask her another question,  _ what were you doing in the storehouse-  _ when the door slid open, and in walked Windu, Yoda, and Obi-Wan, along with six Jedi Sentinels. 

“Awake, you are.” Yoda observed, leaning slightly on his gimmer stick. They both said nothing, but Ahsoka crossed her arms as a reflex. “Walk, you can?” The question was directed at Anakin. He knew he could, and he was sure they’d done a fine job of patching up his leg. Still, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they’d done a good job. 

“Even though  _ you  _ were the ones to injure me in the first place, yes, I can.” None of Council Members commented on his jab, although he could’ve sworn Windu had rolled his eyes. 

“The Sentinels will escort you to the Chamber of Judgement.” He almost flinched at the coolness in Obi-Wan’s voice.  _ He was supposed to be on our side!  _ What new evidence did they have against-  _ oh. The kriffing Nanodroids.  _ He locked his jaw, and stood up. To his relief, (a very grudging relief,) his leg felt as good as new. 

He straightened his shoulders, and felt a flash of pride when Ahsoka held her head up high, glaring the Masters in the eye. Four of the Sentinels each grabbed one of their arms, the other town moving to flank them on either side, as they moved out of the cell. 

The walk through the temple was tense. Jedi Masters and Knights ushered the whispering Padawans and Initiatives away, and they were being openly gawked at. Some faces he was pleased to notice were ones of outrage, like Aayla, and Vos, who were back planetside. Others were ones of disbelief, fear, (like Barriss), or anger, not for them, but  _ at  _ them. He wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. 

Instead he took a measured breath, and centered his focus on Ahsoka’s presence.  _ Fear, worry, pain, anger, helplessness, betrayal- oh.  _ He could feel her. 

_ He could feel her.  _ The thought brought him giddy disbelief, and he felt buoyant, and exuberant. He shouldn’t, considering that they were captured, and charged with serious accusations,  _ but he could feel her.  _

He tugged gently on their bond. He posture stiffened in surprise, ever so slightly, but he and Obi-Wan were the only ones to notice. The Jedi Master said nothing, eyes betraying him just in the slightest as he glanced at Ahsoka. 

**::Master?::** He could feel the hope pulsing on her side of the bond, and wondering yet again how one person could make him feel so happy. He debated on how to respond.  _ Yes? Yeah, and everything will be alright?  _ Instead, he simply settled for, 

**::I’m here.::** The reply was laconic, yet it seemed to be enough for the both of them. 

**Ahsoka:**

“You’re not helping.” She said finally, defeated.  _ His pacing was getting them nowhere.  _ And, it was aggravating her. That too. 

“ _ Agh.  _ I’m- I’m sorry, Snps. I… I just… I don’t know what to do.” He sat down next to her, on the bench. Not close enough to be touching, just close enough that he was  _ there.  _ She could feel him, and that was all that mattered right now. She trusted him to get them out of it. 

She knew that there would be a time when she wouldn’t have him to bail her out. She knew that it was foolish to be so attached to one person, so reliant on them. But if she had to pick any person to be so dependent on, she would pick her Master every single time. 

“It’s okay. I don’t either.” She shared a look, and she wanted nothing more than to immortalize that moment, when there was still hope of everything being okay, and there was still a chance for them to figure something out. 

A chime resonated around the room, and they stood up. It was unsettling to her that her Master didn’t look like a Jedi. She was so used to seeing him in his robes, that the way he looked so civilian unnerved her. 

They stood on the circular platform in the center of the room. She wasn’t sure of what exactly it was called, but it didn’t matter now. Two Sentinels flanked them on the outskirts of the platform, and with a slight  _ whirring  _ sound, it rose. 

**::Hey, Snips. Do you wanna do something that’ll really piss off the Council?::** She didn’t smile,but she was certain that Master Kenobi, from where he sat, could see the way her eyes lit up. 

**::Absolutely.::** He gripped her hand tightly, and moved closer until they were standing shoulder to shoulder.  **::This probably won’t help our case, you know.::**

**::Do you care?::**

**::Not really.::** He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. The inner circle of the platform they were standing on continued to rise, while the Sentinels were left below. She stared at the Council Members sitting in their pillar-chair-things, (she assumed the name wasn’t so important,) and in that moment, all she wanted to do was wake up, and pretend it was all a bad dream. 

She wanted to pretend that just half a day ago, she was joking in the hallway with Barriss, and the promise of Dex’s later still fresh on her mind. She wanted to be  _ innocent.  _ She  _ was  _ innocent. She wanted the Jedi to realize that. She was one of them!  _ Anakin was one of them!  _

The Order was good. She was part of that Order. She  _ was  _ a Jedi. She repeated that mantra over and over and over in her head until the platform finally locked in place, and she could hear the faint huffs of her Master’s breaths. She gripped his hand tighter. He interlocked their fingers together. 

“Knight Skywalker, Padawan Tano. Serious charges have been levied against you.” Yoda’s voice echoed throughout the room, and she looked around at the Jedi High Council sitting above her. She hated how small she felt. “How plead you, Skywalker?”

“Not guilty, Master. The temple is my  _ home.  _ We’d never do anything to harm it. ” Anakin’s voice was strong, and steady. His posture was straight, and she wished she felt as confident as he looked. 

“Padawan Tano?” She took a deep breath.

“No guilty, Master. We would never take the lives of innocents.” She brought up the hand that wasn’t holding her Masters to her chest, curling her fingers together. Her voice didn’t waver. “The values of the Jedi are sacred to me.”

“There is evidence to the contrary. Padawan Tano, you were alone with Letta Turmond when she died. Can you explain this?” Master Mundi spoke.

“Ahsoka didn’t-”

“Addressed to you, the question was not.” Yoda interrupted her Master, looking at her to answer. 

“Some used the Force against her.”

“Which brings us to Ventress. Can you explain your association with her?” She felt her Master stiffen against her, and she knew that he was wondering the same thing.

“We… had a mutual understanding. I thought she was helping me.” She defended herself to Plo Koon. She hated how all the questions were directed to her. It was selfish, she knew, but this was supposed to be a  _ joint  _ trail for a reason. Although, she would give her herself up in a heartbeat, if it meant her Master could walk free. 

“Did she help you acquire the nanodroid weaponry when you both were apprehended, the same devices used in the bombing of the Temple?” 

“No. When we got to the Warehouse, we were attacked by her. You saw the debris! She led us to the Nanodroids, and ran away. We weren’t there on purpose!” This time, her Master spoke. All of the Council Members turned their attention to him. 

“Skywalker, we know you and Tano were separated. Can you explain how you knew to go to the warehouse?”

“I got a call, saying that Ahsoka was in danger.” She knew it was the truth, why would her Master lie now? But it fell on deaf ears. 

“Knight Skywalker, why did you break Padawan Tano out of prison, knowing it would be sedition against the Republic to do so?” She caught how they said ‘Republic,’ instead of the ‘Jedi.’ She had been held in a military prison. If they were expelled from the Order, would that be their fate? A military trial where no one would believe them, a lifetime in prison?

“She is my  _ Padawan.  _ I wasn’t going to leave her to rot in a cell, accused of a crime she didn’t do!” And while she appreciated it beyond what she could possibly put into words, she knew the Council would just view it as attachment.

They were already treading on thin ice, what with them holding hands, and defending each other. She didn’t know how many more blatant displays of affection they could show, before the Council ended up snapping.

“We’re being deceived! I’ve been deceived, and Master Skywalker, and all of you!” She said desperately, pleading with them to understand. 

“The question is, Padawan Tano, who is deceiving us? You, Skywalker, Ventress, or someone else?”

“I’m-  _ we’re  _ not deceiving you!” She was fed up with the Council. She respected them immensely, and admired them, but this was going too far. Her faith in the order was waning, and it terrified her. 

_ The Order was good.  _

_ She was part of that Order.  _

_ She was a Jedi. _

“Surrounded by the dark side, these things are. But not just you two.” He said to them. She felt her Master snap. He unwove his hand from hers, clenching his hands into fists, glaring daggers at the Council. His fury was a storm in the Force, justifiably angry, (at least in her opinion.)

“You’ve already made up your minds! This meeting is just a formality!” He yelled, and even she took a miniscule half-step back from him. She wasn’t frightened of him. Or rather, she wasn’t afraid that he would hurt her. But she did  _ not  _ want to be there if he took his fury out on the Council. And she knew that if she wasn’t there, he would have. Master Windu sighed, and the worst part was, he did look somewhat conflicted.

“The Council has reached a decision.” Her heart pounded in her chest.

“Though not in total agreement, we are.” Master Yoda said. Was that a good, or bad thing? Either way, some were on their side, some weren’t. She could hear her Master’s steady breaths, but could feel that he was just as anxious as she was. 

“It is the Council’s decision that both Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano have committed sedition against the Republic, and thus, they will be expelled from the Jedi Order.”She could hear a ringing sound, faintly. Her head felt muddled, and she was positive she had to be hearing things, because surely,  _ surely,  _ they couldn’t have said that. She gaped at him, and her eyes widened. 

“You can’t do this!” Her Master bellowed- only, he wasn’t her Master anymore, was he. She felt sick. She’d never felt more alone. She glanced at each of the Council Members. None of them objected- not Master Plo, or Master Ti. 

Not even Master Kenobi.

_ No, no, no.  _ There was a  _ hissing  _ sound, and the platform began to lower. She could feel her Mast-  _ Anakin,  _ shaking with unparalleled fury, He wanted to scream, she could tell.  _ Kriff,  _ she wanted to scream.

“Your statuses will be stripped from you, and you both shall forfeit all rank and privileges within the Grand Army of the Republic.” She lowered her head, and squeezed her eyes shut. 

“You are making a mistake!” Anakin yelled, and his voice wavered.  _ No, no, Mas- Skyguy, I need you to be strong. Please. Because I don’t think I can be.  _

“You will be turned over to the Republic courts to await your trail, and  _ whatever  _ punishment they will set for you.” A Sentinel walked up behind her, and her Master advanced, fury practically palpable in the Force, since they both knew what the Sentinel was about to do. 

Another Sentinel held Anakin back, and he struggled for a second, before stopping, defeated. Her head was yanked back as her Padawan braid was ripped from her headdress. “Henceforth, you are barred from the Jedi Order.”

The Order may be good. 

But she wasn’t a part of it. 

She wasn’t a Jedi.

Not anymore. 

**Unknown:**

_ “My Lord, Alpha VIII, is proceeding as planned.” _

“I take it this means that ------- has been apprehended?”

_ “Yes, My Lord.” _

**Unknown:**

“You will talk. Everyone does eventually.”

“Never.”

“We have similar agendas. We could be great assets to each other.”

“You will only get in my way. I’ve made sure that by the end of this, no one will profit but me.”

“We both want revenge against --------.”

“I’ll play by the rules of my own games.”

“You are a pawn. You know nothing!”

“We’re more alike than you realize. But I’ve always been one step ahead of you. Always that slightest bit better. And if I’m a pawn, what does that make you?” 

“I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“You’ll only kill me if your  _ Master  _ allows it.”

There was silence. Then, 

“Call in the Admiral.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!

**Author's Note:**

> No one:  
> The Universe:  
> Me: mOre muTLi-ChapTER auS aBOUt anAKiN aNd AhsOKA  
> I hope you enjoyed!!!!  
> (Also, some comments? Please? As a birthday present?)


End file.
